Apparatus for refining oil



Dec. 31, 1929. c. w. STRATFORD ET Ar. 1,741,887

APPARATUS FOR REFINING OL Dec. 3l, 1929. c. w. STATFORD Er A1. 1,741,887

APPARATUS FOR REFINING OIL Filed July 8. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedDer.. 31", 1929 o UNITED `'s'rxrl-:s PATENT oFrlcE GHARLES 'WALOOTTSTRATFOBD AND 'WILLIAM 8.1JAHES, 0F SAN FRANCISCO,

Vchrazroisisun I APPARATUS FOR BEFINING OIL Application. med my s, 1926.serial 110,121,227.

Our invention'relates to the refining of oils i and has as an object theprovision of a method w A furl-.her object is the provision oftheseparating means and process above referred to with means for preventingcontamination of the bottoms by a portion of the vapors' which should beremoved.

Illustrative embodiments of the apparatus for carrying out the processare shownin the accompanying drawings wherein ,Figure 1 is a sideelevation;

Figure 2 is a detailed central vertical section of the right hand tubeshown in Figure v1 atthe upper portion thereof; and

Figurey 3 is a central vertical section show-- ing a tube provided witha heating jacket.

As shown in Figure 1, the device comprises two cylinders 10 and 11 whichmay be of the nature disclosed and claimed in the co-pending applicationfor Patent No. 19,553, filed March 30, 1925, on method of and apparatusfor evaporating liquids. Oil to be treated, such as crude oil or thelike, may be introduced throu h a pipe 12 to a heat-exchanger 13 to heatt e liquid to the desired temperature. A pum 14, is indicateddiagrammatically to inject the liquid tangentially throu h a pipe 15into the cylinder 10, as descri d in the co-pending application abovereferred to. The liquid by its tangential inection into the cyhnder iscaused to whirl about and in contactwith the inner surface of thecylinder and to travel downwardly in a spiral path therein.

The vapors separated from the liquid by the action of the centrifugalforce within the cylinder 10 are withdrawn from the top 5 of thecylinder through a pipe 16 and the pipe is shown as discharging to theorifice liquid separated from its vapors is withl drawn from thecylinder through a pipe 17 1 and may be led through pipe 18 to anydesired point for further treatment. v vTo prevent the escape ofvapors'with the liquid 55 at the bottom 'of the cylinder, the presentinvention contemplates the maintaining of a liquid seal in the bottom ofcylinder 10 to a depth, for instance, such as shown by ldotted line 19.To preserve this liquid seal, a level `control device indicateddiagrammatically at 20 is provided. This devicemay be of any desiredcharacter but it is preferred to use the form 'shown in 'our (zo-pendingapplication for patent on level control device filed of even dateherewith, Serial Number 121,226.

Thevapors escaping or withdrawn through the pipe 16 will inevitablycarry therewith inentrainment a certain amount of bottoms in finelydivided li uid form, ofthe char- 7 'acter of bottoms wit drawn throu hpipe 18.

To separate the entrained liquid' om these vapors there is shown asecond cylinder 11 which may be of the form shown more clearly in Figure2, in which the vapors are discharged through the pipe 16 tangentiallyinto the cylinder through an orifice y21. The operation of separatingthe vapors from the-en trained liquid in tube 11 is exactly the same astheseparation of the vapors' from the 3 liquid in tube 10 but for itsuse with vapors it is preferred to provide the arrangement shown inFigure 2 wherein the withdrawal pipe 22 is shown as projectingdownwardly within the .cylinder 11', as indicated at 23, 35 Figure 2,and by dotted lines in Figure 1.' The material escaping or withdrawnthrough pipe 22 in practice maybe madeA to contain substantially fiftyper cent of the` gasoline content Vof the oil under treatment and to 9carry the low boiling point gasoline. Y

As in the case of-tube `10, a level control device 24 isdiagrammatically illustrated to reservela liquid seal in the bottom ofcyliner 11, the bottoms escaping therefrom being discharged through apipe 25 to the pipe 18. An enlarged cross-section of tube 10 is shown inFigure 3 to illustrate the-interior arrangement thereof. In said ligure,the 'loo 26,1. control valve 27 being supplied to control the rate ofdischarge. Assshown, the

p tube '10 is shown as closed at the ends by caps space in the jacket.37 thus provided is utilized for the application of heat to the outsideof the tube 10. For this purpose, pipes 38, 39 are provided havingcommunication with the interior of the jacket and these pipes areequipped with cut-oil? valves 40, 41 A heat-insulating jacket 42 isshown exterior of the jacket cylinder 36. The level control device shownin Figure 3 is the same as that shown in Figure 1. By the provision ofthe heat jacket of Figure 3, the crude oil injected into the tubethrough pipe receives lts heat for treatment through the walls of tube10.

It will be understood thatthe level control device embodies a mechanismto cause the operation of a valve shown at 43 when the level in thecylinder rises above a fixed point as, for instance, that shown at 19,to allow the accumulating residue to flow away through the pipe 18.

B the provision of the two tubes shown in igure 1 the va rs carried awathrough pipe 22 will be e ectivel cleared rom contaminating bottoms `anthe vapors withdrawn through pipe 22 may be conducted to any desiredpoint for further treatment.

Wedesire it understood that minor changes in the steps of the processand in the apparatus for carrying out the same may be made within thescope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of theinvention. v

The location of the level control device outside of the tube, asprovided by our invention, has the advantage of placing the Workin partsthereof for accessibility, an indepen ent replaceable unit in fact.

In carrying out our improved method the vapor is separated from theheated liquid while the liquid is at a pressure above that required toprevent vaporization, the pressure within the tube or cylinder 10 beingsuiiiciently lower than the pressure of theliquid at its inlet into thecylinder to permit vaporization of the desired constituents of theliquid.

We claim: i 1. An apparatus for refining Oil comprising a substantiallyvertical c linder, means to inject oil tangentially into tile cylinder,a top vapor outlet extending below thepoint of in- 'ection and a bottomliquid drawoil', means or maintaining a liquid seal over the .lowerliquid drawo. l

2. A- air of substantially vertical cylinders each) having openings ineach end, means to inject oil to be treated into one of said cylinderssubstantially tangentially to its inner surface, means to convey vaporsfrom the upper opening in said last named c linder with entrainedliquids and to deliver t e mixture to the interior of the remainingcylinder substantially tangentially to its inner surface whereby to searate vapors from liquids in each of said cylinders to withdraw the vaors from the upper ends of said cylinders anti) the separated liquidsfrom the lower ends thereof.

3. A air of substantially vertical cylinders eac having openin s in eachend, means to inject oil to be treate into one of said cylinderssubstantially tangentially to its innerv surface, means to convey vaporsfrom the upper opening in said last named cylinder with entrainedliquids and to deliver the lmixture to the interior of the remainingcylinder substantially tangentially to its inner surface whereby toseparate vapors from liquids in each of said cylinders and the separatedliquids from the lower ends thereof and separately acting means tomaintain a liquid seal over the lower opening in each of said cylinders.

4. A air of substantially vertical cylinders eac having opening in eachend, means to inject oil to be treated into one of said cylinderssubstantially tangentially to its inner surface, means to convey vaporsfrom the upper opening in said last named cylinder with entrainedliquids and to deliver the mixture to the interior of the remainingcylinder substantially tangentially to its inner surface whereby toseparate vapors from liquids in each of said cylinders and the separatedliquids from the lower ends thereof and separately acting means locatedexterior of each of said cylinders to maintain a li uid seal ver thelower opening in each of said -cyliners.

5. An apparatus for refining oil comprising a substantially verticalcylinder, valvecontrolled means to inject oil tangentiall into thecylinder, a top vapor outlet exten ing below the point of injection anda bottom liquid drawoff and means for maintainin a hquid seal over thelower liquid drawo opening.

In testimony whereof they aix their signatures.

CHARLES WALCO'IT STRAI'FoRD. WlLLlAl S. JAl.

